HELP- need your top tips on surviving car journeys

[carriemumsnet]

We've been asked for Mumsnet's top 5 tips on surviving car journeys in half term. In Mumsnet style these can be fun or serious suggestions - as long as they work!

Slight problem is we only have about an hour to pull them together, so if you could put your thinking caps on that'd be grand

Big thanks MNHQ

Buy a car with a child proof, soundproof screen..or in fact just leave the kids at home no one will ever know

buy dvd players that strap to the headrests

journeys are the only time that me and dh get to talk to one another during the day and we thank these wonderful inventions every time

There's only one answer really is there?

In car DVD player! We travel to Germany regularly and find it so easy now since the girls can watch Mary Poppings for the 500th time...

Anything to get away from I spy and word association!

Make a list of things they have to look out for(5 green cars, 3 caravans, 4 horses, 1 fire engine, 7 red cars etc, 1 petrol station, 2 police cars etc). If they can't read, stick to colours and draw a car or lorry of that colour and get them to tick. Sounds really simple, but mine used to love it. A bit like the I spy books, but I find they get fed up with those because too many things they can't find

Obviously regular stops are important. I tend to let the children eat in the car (yes I know it creates a mess) and then when we stop they can use the time for running around.

Timing of journeys can be critical with younger children - if you can incorporate part of their evening sleep or their nap, so much the better.

We have not yet bought an in-car dvd player, but we use story cds and DS (6) has a personal CD player and we usually compile him a new CD before a major journey.

For younger children keep some finger puppets in the glove box so if you get stuck in a traffic jam you can act out endless dramas...

Audio books are good in my experience too - we always had things like Tolkien and CS Lewis but I suppose now you can get Harry Potter and Philip Pullman's stuff - nice and LONG!

Buy child friendly CDs and keep them for long car journeys. Each year, my children have a new obsession and we have to listen to the CD ad nauseam (oops perhaps shouldn't use that phrase in case there are travel sick people here!) but it certainly seems to make the journey easier. Past and present obsessions have been Abba, Billy Joel, Rolf Harris, and Joseph and his amazing technicolour dreamcoat.

Name-Its
A pillow barrier between children

If the children are old enough then money is a good incentive to behave. On long journeys our 2 can earn 10p for every 10 mins without an argument etc. They love this idea and it works. We have the usual activities for them to do to keep them occupied but I've found this works best for us

a recent huge thread here has lots of tips

My 2 older boys are kept happy for journeys of 5 hours or more playing on their gameboys (god knows what it is doing to their brains and eyes though)

You see dg I would worry about that from a car sickness point of view with DS.

So another tip. If you child is prone to car sickness give them a joy rides before you set off - and do not feed them bananas.

Last summer when DD was just over 2 I made her her own little photo album (cheapie flip album for about 86p from Asda) and then printed off digital photos of her friends and family in action shots where possible. So it included one of her and DS asleep in the car, one of her riding her bike, one of DS playing football, one of her cousin with his birthday cake etc. She loved it.

Travel overnight

Thanks all, compliling now, but do keep them coming if anyone has any more!

Hi chaps

Chris Evans show want us to do top 5 tips for surviving car journeys with kids tonight - they like the smarties tip quoted in Tel last weekend eg - buy a tube of smarties and every time they misbehave throw one out of the window... so they're thinking funny and useful rather than just DVD and in car CD's...

Calling us back in half an hour... anyone got any suggestions?

Big thanks

Get your car fitted with one of those sound-proof "privacy screen" things so you can't see or hear them. They're happy, you're oblivious.

Bump

buy a black cab and use the Silence button in the front

WW3 could break out in the back and you wouldn't know (or care)

Not read whole thread but for us

Travelling at night or early morning - to miss traffic and possibility that younger children would sleep

DVD player

Audio books

Lots of 'dry' snacks you can hand out - like raisins, dried fruit, breadsticks (if you can handle the crumbs)

we used to spot haulage companies on a long journey- ie , one child had to count the 'eddie stobart' trucks, someone else the 'mansel davies' wagons etc- was probably really boring (thinking about it now!) but it did stir up a bit of competition between us kids!!

Load their favourite tunes onto the i-pod.
I offer rewards for the quietest!

give them pocket money in 10ps. Every time they ask ''Are We Nearly There Yet?'' take 10p off them. Worked a treat on our recent 10 hour marathon to cornwall.

one of those lap tray things you get for eating in front of tv is good for older kids - they can do colouring, plastacine etc on them.

we also did a small snack for every 50 caravans they spotted - not hard on the trip down to cornwall...

The mini aquqdraw pictures are good, 4 in a pack for around £6. Think you can get Bob, Thomas & Dora ones.

A surprise bag of stuff for each of them in the back - with a magazine, crayons, small toy in. Car bingo is fab for probably age 4+. Snacks every half an hour and we packed our two a small lunchbox with crackers, drink, few sweets, fruit in small pieces and they could have that whenever they liked, which they loved.

Break every 1.5 hours for a leg stretch and food!